Balkan Treat Box is laying down roots in Webster Groves. The popular food truck will open a brick-and-mortar location this fall in the former Stratton’s Café space, at 8103 Big Bend Boulevard.
The plan’s been in the works for a while. Chef-owner Loryn Nalic and her husband, Edo, have operated their truck to rave reviews for more than a year and are ready to open their own place.
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“We’ve been pretty overwhelmed by the response,” the Nalics stated in a press release. “We never expected our food to resonate so profoundly with our local community. It still feels surreal that there will now be a permanent home for Balkan Treat Box.”
The 1,800-square-foot space will include about 40 seats. The restaurant will serve guests in a fast-casual service format that includes beer and wine.
Fans of the truck will find their favorite dishes at the restaurant, including pide (Turkish flatbread with minced meat and roasted red-pepper relish) and shaved-to-order döner kebab on somun bread. The Nalics’ take on the classic cevapi includes grilled beef sausages served with kajmak, a spreadable dairy condiment made with cream and cheese, onion, cabbage and fefferoni pickled chiles.
Balkan Treat Box will be in good company in Webster Groves. Such restaurants as The Block, Robust, Olive + Oak, Clover and the Bee, Half & Half, and The Frisco Barroom have sent the neighborhood’s already solid food scene into overdrive.
A restaurant opening isn’t the only thing that Balkan Treat Box has on tap, though. On August 30, Loryn and other top St. Louis chefs will headline Savor for Students to raise funds for Life for Life Academy.
